The present invention relates generally to a wiring harness for cabling. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rotatable wiring harness with respect to a fixed connector.
Transferring signals via cables or wires remains a preferred and a reliable mode for many applications, despite the advent of wireless means for transferring signals. Generally, cables are made of electrically conducting materials such as copper, aluminum, etc. and are shielded by an insulating material such as rubber or plastic for protection and safe handling. In some applications both an interfacing connector and a test point connector are flexibly tethered. In other field conditions the test point connector may be in a fixed position. In still other field applications the test point connector may be in a fixed position and in a fixed location, wherein the path for the interfacing connector and cable is congested. The test point location may change or the access path to the same may change. The pathway for the cable, any cable conduit, and the interfacing connector may include obstacles. A same testing interfacing connector may need to gain electrical connection, mating, to different test point connectors, each affording only limited pathways for the connecting cable. Conventionally, different cable to connector orientations are provided by different fixed cable to electrical connector assemblies, shown for example, in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
Cables that are used in high-end sophisticated systems such as satellite electronic harness systems or aircraft systems may be desired to have, and may be required to have, capability to be environmentally sealed or to withstand electromagnetic interference. This requirement may be for on craft system harnesses as well as testing harnesses.
While, flexible cabling may be able to conform to the walls of a structure or to avoid obstacles, flexible cables may not be compatible with the subject test point connector. Conventionally, flat cables may be flexible and able to bend. One desirable feature of the flexible cable and testing connector assembly is the manipulations that can be made to the cable in real time, repositioning the cable to fit within the available pathway to the test point connector. As an example, the desired test point connector to which mating of an interface connector is desired may be an avionics system's test point connector on board an aircraft. Such real time adjustments may be desirable due to a change in the open pathway over time or due to the use of the cable and testing connector with different test point connectors and different respective fixed pathways.
Not only the physical pathway but electromagnetic interference generated by aircraft or weapons configurations may also vary across aircraft or within a given aircraft across different plans for use. In addition, in some field application cables may be subjected to high heat conditions.